When wellbores are prepared for oil and gas production, it is common to cement a casing string within the wellbore. Often, it may be desirable to cement the casing string within the wellbore in multiple, separate stages. The casing string may be run into the wellbore to a predetermined depth. Various “zones” in the subterranean formation may be isolated via the operation of one or more packers, which may also help to secure the casing string and stimulation equipment in place, and/or via cement.
Following the placement of the casing string, it may be desirable to provide at least one route of fluid communication out of the casing string. Where fluids are produced from a long interval of a formation penetrated by a wellbore, it is known that balancing the production of fluid along the interval can lead to reduced water and gas coning, and more controlled conformance, thereby increasing the proportion and overall quantity of oil or other desired fluid produced from the interval. Various devices and completion assemblies have been used to help balance the production of fluid from an interval in the wellbore. For example, inflow control devices have been used in conjunction with well screens to restrict the flow of produced fluids through the screens for the purposes of balancing production along an interval.
Conventionally, the methods and/or tools employed to provide fluid pathways within a casing string require mechanical tools supplied by a rig and/or downhole tools needing high temperature protection, long term batteries, and/or wired surface connections. Additionally, conventional methods may not allow for individual, or at least selective, activation of a route of fluid communication from a plurality of formation zones. As such, there exists a need for devices, systems, and/or methods for allowing and/or configuring fluid pathways within a casing string while being capable of withstanding wellbore conditions for the lifetime of a wellbore servicing operation.